Page 12 RAIN July 1978 The Changing City, Jorg Muller, a Margaret K. McElderry Book, 1976, Verlag Sauerlander AG, $9.95 from: Atheneum Publishers 122 E. 42nd St. New York, NY 10017 RAIN subscriber Sue Tideman of Los Angeles recently brought Jorg Miiller's amazing portfolio, The Changing City, to our attention. A collection of eight separate fold-out color illustrations, Muller's wordless narrative chronicles the decline of a composite Swiss/German city over two decades, where neighborhoods, plazas, cafes and trolleys-signs of local economies and human energy-give way to autobahns, tower blocks, boutiques and parking structures. It's the exploitation process of centralized economies that afflicts industrialized nations everywhere, and which even has a foothold in the Third World. Each frame of Miiller's bittersweet time-lapsed exposure (three of which are shown here) offers a wealth of artistic detail you can pour over for hours, observing the various incarnations of a degenerating building or noticing the changes in patterns of socialization and styles. We'd sure like to see Jorg move into the realm of the possible with his talents; until then, if you find this too awful to contemplate, do as Sue suggests and read up rather than down. -SA
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